Enterprise iPhone, Android Smartphone Activations Accelerate

Apple's iOS platform represented over 50 percent of new activations over the past five months, Good Technology found in its most recent survey.

It wasn't long ago that most CIOs would scoff at a peer's decision to deploy the iPhone in their operations. The reasoning was that Apple's devices weren't designed with corporate users in mind. And, if increased productivity was central to a company's goals in the future, the iPhone and its virtual keyboard would only hurt the firm's chances of achieving its mission. How times have changed. A recent study from mobile solution vendor Good Technology, which tallied "thousands of corporate and government" mobile phone activations to its service in 3Q 2010, found that enterprise adoption of Android OS and iOS devices is on the rise. (It's important to note that RIM's BlackBerry OS wasn't included in the study, since it doesn't support Good's service). It's clear that companies are realizing that it is possible to bring an iPhone or an Android alternative to employees. Read on to find out which devices and operating systems are most attractive to enterprise customers right now.